The Fort Atkinson Community Foundation is pleased to announce that Kristin Wallace has been appointed to serve a five-year term on the organization’s Board of Directors. She was nominated by the Fort Atkinson School District and will be replacing Beth McLaughlin who has completed her term and who will spend 2015 serving the board as past chairman.
“We are delighted to welcome Kristin to the Foundation’s Board of Directors,” announced McLaughlin. “The school board made an excellent choice. Kristin’s volunteer community service and her work experience gives her a breadth of knowledge about our community that will serve her well in this position.”
Wallace earned her bachelor’s degree in 1985 from DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. where she majored in psychology and business administration. In 1992, she graduated with a master’s degree in health services administration from Arizona State University.
Upon graduation from Arizona State, Wallace spent nine years in various management and administrative roles at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale. When she and her family relocated back to the Midwest, she assumed the leadership role at The Women’s Connection (TWC) in the Quad Cities, a women’s education and networking membership organization. During her tenure, membership doubled and TWC became known as the premier women’s organization in the area.
In 2006, the Wallace family relocated to Fort Atkinson in order for Kristin’s husband, Mike, to serve as CEO at Fort Healthcare. Kristin quickly immersed herself in the community, joining the Chamber of Commerce as tourism manager and then moving to the United Way where she led that organization as its executive director. Her extensive community service has included stints on the boards of directors of the School District of Fort Atkinson, the Community Dental Clinic, the Fort Atkinson Historical Society, and the Fort Atkinson Swim Team. She has also volunteered her time to serve the Fort Healthcare Giving Circle and Gala Committees, the Fort Healthy Community Coalition, and as a Girl Scout Leader.
Regarding her new position, Wallace commented, “I am so pleased to be joining the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation Board. The Foundation is one of the pillar organizations in our community. It invests in our youth and also enhances the quality of life for all members of the community. I have witnessed the good work of the Foundation since we moved to Fort and am looking forward to my participation.”
Joining Kristin and Mike in the Wallace family are daughters Carly (19) and Meghan (17). When not cheering on her daughters at their activities, she enjoys yoga, reading, walking her two golden retrievers and golf.
The Fort Atkinson Community Foundation was organized in 1973 as a result of a $25,000 gift by a local citizen who wanted to designate the money to benefit a future Fort Atkinson community, whatever that community might look like and need. Its mission is to receive donations for educational, cultural, charitable, or benevolent purposes and to use them to enhance the quality of life in the Fort Atkinson area. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded over $18 million in grants and scholarships.
The foundation is organized under a formal Declaration of Trust and is exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Its office is housed in the Fort Atkinson Chamber of Commerce building at 244 North Main St.
The Community Foundation’s Board of Directors consists of five members, each serving a term of five years. These volunteers are chosen for their community involvement and knowledge of the educational, cultural, civic, public, and charitable needs of the Fort Atkinson area.
Appointments to the Board are made, in turn, by the School District of Fort Atkinson, the trustee of the foundation, the Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Atkinson Historical Society, and the Fort Atkinson City Council. Wallace was appointed by the School District of Fort Atkinson. However, directors represent the community in general and do not represent or act as advocates of their respective appointing bodies.
Currently serving on the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors with Wallace are chairman Phil Niemeyer, vice-chairman Dean Brown, Chris Rogers, and Mary Behling. Joining the five voting members are past-chairman Beth McLaughlin and secretary and legal counsel James Vance. The Board of Directors is supported by the foundation’s program administrator, Sue Hartwick.
More information about the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation is available at www.fortfoundation.org or by contacting Hartwick at (920) 563-3210 (office), (920) 222-1191 (mobile) or via email at facf@fortfoundation.org.